


I Could Really Use a Wish Right Now

by Versarat



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Achievement City, Gen, Minecraft, minecraft au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-10 11:35:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2023617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Versarat/pseuds/Versarat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>The ordinary man looks only for a place to belong.</i><br/><i>The warrior is determined to carve out a future for himself with no memory of his past.</i><br/><i>The trickster hides knowledge gained from a secret library.</i><br/><i>The introvert is beaten down by guilt.<i></i></i><br/><i>The creator is gifted with a strange power from an unknown source,<i></i></i><br/><i>And the insomniac sees what others cannot in what he believes to be an enchanted land...</i><br/>Ryan, Jack, Geoff, Michael, Gavin, and Ray inadvertently find themselves on a strange island where music plays beneath the earth and Endermen are in hiding. They do not know each other, but a strange force draws them together and they must work as a team to prevent an ancient force from rising...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Strong

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter of what is hopefully a long Minecraft AU... If people like it, that is. If it turns out that it sucks then I'll just pretend it never existed.  
> Title is from the song Airplanes.

_I know that there are others with me in this enchanted land._

_I know because I can hear the little metal men down below celebrating, playing their music. They only celebrate for newcomers. The music has come and gone four- no, five times, already. It comes from far away and I am unsure if I am allowed to listen. They_ are _playing for other people, after all. Then again, it wouldn't matter; I would still listen, either way. The music is so mournful, so menacing,_ _yet so alluring all at once. It is another one of this island's many enchantments, and I cannot help but be drawn to it._

_The metal men are dancing in delight as they play for the strangers, down in the caves where they live. The earth below me rumbles, telling me that this is the most excited the men have been in a long time. I press myself to the ground, reveling in the tremors under the cloudy night sky. No monsters are nearby - they, too, must be reveling in the celebrations of the metal men._

☆★☆

Michael had been walking for hours and still, he'd seen no signs of civilization on this fucking island. It pissed him off yet confused him. He knew that he'd lived on this island his entire life - or at least, he thought he knew - but if that was true, then why did everything feel so... unfamiliar? Michael wanted to believe his memories, he really did; that was mostly because he was fucking terrified of the alternative, which was that he'd been suddenly dropped here with fake memories and nothing in his backpack.

Tearing himself away from his thoughts, Michael realized that his feet had carried him into a birch forest with oddly shaped trees. There were holes where leaves and branches should've been, in a way that looked unnatural. After squinting and struggling to inspect the trees in the darkness, Michael saw  that night had fallen. He shivered slightly and tugged his bear fur cloak tighter around himself, but this was not to be taken as a sign of weakness. Any regular traveler would be terrified of encountering any of the monsters that came out under the cover of darkness, but Michael was ready, almost excited, for a fight. As if on cue, a creeper appeared from the shadow of a tree, jagged green scales flashing in the moonlight. It charged straight towards Michael, hissing menacingly. Undeterred, he faced it head on. Michael ran forward and easily beat it down, loosing all his frustration on it until it fell to the ground with a defeated "tsss..." A pile of gunpowder appeared over its dead body.

"What a fucking busta." Michael muttered, carelessly throwing the gunpowder into his yellow backpack.

A faint, ominous tune played unheard in the background.

 

Michael encountered no other monsters for the rest of the night, for they had all heard of the strangely powerful bear that had entered the area and stayed away. Michael thought it was simply luck and he decided that he would need a more efficient weapon than just his fists. Thus, as soon as the sun had risen, he set to work making himself a crafting table and a wooden sword. It turned out to be harder than he expected, but finally, once the sun was already high in the sky, Michael had come through. Finishing up, Michael carved the word "MOGAR" into the polished sword. He didn't know what it meant, but it felt right. 

Taking apart the crafting table, he stored it into his backpack along with some of his leftover wood. Not for the first time that day, Michael wondered why he was here and what had happened to his memories. _Nothing's happened,_ his mind reasoned.  _You've always lived here._

But everything looked so unfamiliar. It was unsettling, and Michael felt like he couldn't trust himself anymore.

He decided it didn't matter.

☆★☆

Two days passed and Michael could swear he was going insane. There were still no people on this fucking island, just a couple of pigs which he had to kill because he desperately needed food. He'd even realized that maybe the monsters were avoiding him, too. He'd tried to sleep, but he could only do so for a few short minutes. The ground was simply too rough and hard for him to get comfortable. But he trudged on.

Today, he was walking through a grassy field with an abundance of yellow dandelions growing, and only dandelions. The sun was high overhead and Michael was fucking melting. Looking up from his feet, he saw a single lonely tree just a few meters away. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it before, but he didn't dwell on the thought. Rushing towards it, Michael collapsed in the shade, panting gratefully. Suddenly he realized that he was starving. Setting aside his sword, he looked through his backpack, and pulled out a few leftover raw porkchops. He hadn't figured out how to cook them yet, but it didn't matter much. He had a strong stomach.

Sitting against the tree and biting into his porkchop, Michael was struck with a sudden fear - what if there were no people here at all? What if he was all alone here?  _No,_ he said to himself.  _There has to be_  someone  _on this goddamn island._ He looked up at the tree and chuckled softly.  _I'll try sending the natives a message then._ _  
_

Taking his sword, he carved out the word "HELLO?" on the bark of the tree in big, bold letters. He knew it was hopeless, but it made him feel better. Picking up his backpack, Michael set off in a random direction.

☆★☆

Another two days passed. Still no people. Still no monsters. The sun was blazing high overhead once again, and Michael took refuge under a tree. He'd been walking non-stop for an entire day, and he used this break to take note of his surroundings. Grass. Yellow flowers. Just yellow flowers. And a single tree, providing the only shade from the sunlight he could find. Michael looked up and let out a cry of frustration. On the tree, was a big, bold, "HELLO?"

Then Michael noticed something further down along the tree, at the edge of his vision. Small and carefully carved, were three words that meant the world to him.

"Who are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a comment if you liked it (or if you hated it I guess). I know it seems like it's just Michael right now but we'll be switching POVs more next chapter and such.


	2. Brave

_One of the "newcomers" has been here before. Years ago I met a boy with piercing brown eyes and dark hair. One would expect brown eyes to be boring, but the boys' were mystifying in a way similar to this enchanted island. His movements were smooth and silent, everything deliberate and graceful. The most surprising thing was that he could not have been older than fourteen at the time I met him, and yet I knew that he was deadlier than any monster one could ever encounter. The boy didn't alert the metal men of his presence when he arrived, something that I did not know was possible back then. I did not know what became of him after he left, but now I am realizing that perhaps he never did. The more I think about it, the more certain I become that he has always been here, in hiding. He would know of the other four newcomers' arrivals, somehow. His capabilities are endless, it seems. Why he's chosen to reveal himself to the metal men upon their arrival, knowing that it is likely that only I would_ _hear it, I do not know._

☆★☆

Michael was determined to find out who the writer of the message was, even if it meant being near the tree at all times. And that was exactly what he did; he spent the entire day keeping watch around the tree, hoping that he would at least catch a glimpse of another person.

As the hours dragged on, Michael began to doubt himself. What if they were traveling, just like him, and had moved on after carving the message? Exactly as he had done? Michael didn't dwell on it for long, because as Michael did with many of his worries, he quickly pushed the thoughts away and remained determined to stand guard by the tree. More hours passed by, until Michael eventually forgot about his previous doubts. Those doubts, however, were soon replaced with new ones. What if this stranger wasn't friendly? Was he trustworthy? While Michael was usually reckless and foolhardy, trust was one thing he knew not to give too quickly. Trust placed in the wrong person could get you into trouble much worse than just a stray creeper wandering about. Michael knew he could take care of himself, by himself, against threats, but he knew he would let down his guard around a friend. If that friend was really not much of a friend, then... Well, a lot of things could go wrong.

Unsurprisingly, Michael was suddenly a lot less eager to meet this other person. Still though, he did not leave the tree. He'd already waited here for at least ten hours, and leaving now would just be a disappointment. After all that time spent waiting, he deserved to at least see the one other human being he knew was on this island. So he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Days passed, yet no one came.

☆★☆

_The villagers who used to live here wondered why there were no Endermen on the entirety of this island. I too wonder about that from time to time. I am wondering that now. Whispers of the wind tell me that they have been hiding. But is it the enchantment of the island that keeps them away now or is it the boy who has most certainly grown into a man by now?_

_The Endermen used to be the most powerful and intelligent beings here. They destroyed cities without hesitation, and not even the strongest warrior could stop them. No one really knew what they looked like - as far as we knew, no one had ever survived an encounter with one. And while the cities often fought and battled over territory and dominance, they all worked in unison to try and put a stop to the Endermen. My city was the center of science and technology; we searched everywhere for a weakness, tried everything. They teleported away before arrows could reach them. Armor was of no use, and not even the strongest diamond armor would protect the wearer from their crushing jaws. And we couldn't test our melee weapons if no man could even get near one of the creatures._ _  
_

_Eventually we discovered their weakness: water. But that soon proved to be futile, too. The creatures were simply too smart. They knew to avoid water. Eventually, everyone gave up. But I didn't. I believed in the enchantments buried deep in the roots of the island. The enchantments make sure I never remember the night's events in the morning, but I know I would give up every bit of information in my head just to continue to experience this. A simple night's worth of memories is nothing._

☆★☆

Five days had passed since Michael rediscovered the tree, and still he was standing vigilantly beside it, clinging on to the last shreds of hope he had. As he bit into the last porkchop he had, he realized that he was out of food. But going hunting meant leaving the tree, and who knows how long he would take? The stranger could return during that period of time. Michael could leave a message before he left, but if the stranger saw that, there was a chance that they would simply leave again after responding. Then it would be another five days of waiting. Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, however, Michael  _had to_ eat eventually.

Standing up with a resigned sigh, he slung his backpack around his arm and picked up his sword. He stood there silently, facing the tree for a long period of time. What would his message be? He didn't want to reveal too much about himself to a potential threat, but he didn't want to seem too closed off and hostile towards a possible friend. Maybe he was thinking this through too much. Eventually, he settled on the words, "I am a traveler, passing through. Who are you?" and left.

Hunting was something that Michael could do easily and without tiring himself out, but at the same time it required just enough concentration to prevent his mind from wandering. As he swiftly downed a herd of pigs and took their meat, Michael found himself becoming much more relaxed than previously. It felt good to let his guard down for once. At least, it  _had_ felt good, until he returned to the tree only to find that the stranger had indeed returned while he was gone. The neatly carved letters rested directly under his message, and Michael put his head in his hands. But as always, the tree and the writer's words were unexpected and strange. When Michael looked back up to read the message, his eyes widened in surprise. "You don't seem to be traveling much to me. You've been standing by this tree for days now."

 _Had they been watching me the entire time?_ he wondered. _What the fuck? Why didn't I notice them?_

Michael looked around carefully, steeling himself for a fight. They could be watching him this very moment. It felt rather unsettling, to be honest. Suddenly a quiet voice spoke from behind him. "Calm down, I'm not here for a fight."

Michael whipped around to face the stranger, narrowing his eyes as he brandished his sword and examined him. He had dark, messy hair and kind eyes. Whether or not the man was truly kind or not, Michael could not tell. On the man's nose sat a pair of thick-framed glasses. Strangely enough, the man wore a white mask and a suit. He smelled faintly of roses. The man was visibly relaxed, leaning casually against the trunk of the tree. "Who are you? Why have you been watching me?" growled Michael, although the intimidating effect was slightly ruined by the fact that his voice cracked a little from disuse.

The man smiled, clearly unbothered by Michael's hostility. "My name's Ray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the chapters being so short right one, but I'm just wondering - would you guys prefer it if I pumped out a lot of short chapters very quickly, or just long chapters slightly slower?


	3. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait and still not-very-long chapter, but I spent AGES trying to figure out how to make Ray and Michael's dialogue not horrible.

Gavin jumped effortlessly from tree to tree, the striped branches of the birch trees bending under his weight. He seemed to always know when to jump and where to land; even if the next branch was obscured by leaves, he dove straight through them, landing gracefully and without fault.

The sun had long ago set, but Gavin didn't mind. Although the moon was obscured by clouds, the darkness was not a problem; Gavin had traveled through this route so many times that he had memorized which way to go. Muscle memory was enough to guide him through the trees. As for the monsters spawning, his green creeper cloak blended in well with the leaves, providing excellent camouflage. Even if Gavin  _was_ somehow noticed, which had happened on a few occasions, monsters wouldn't be able to reach him all the way up in the trees, anyways. The only threat he worried about were Endermen, which could easily teleport up to him and bunce him straight off the branch. Tall, skinny, and covered in silky black fur, newborns had the strength of eight men, while fully grown Endermen had the strength of twenty.

Gavin seen one a long time ago, on a faraway island. Back then he was just a lad, having a bit of a swim, when suddenly one appeared on land just a few feet away. It had simply glared at him and screeched before teleporting away again.  _Mingy little prick, that one was,_ Gavin thought as he stopped on a branch to take a break. But not all of Gavin's knowledge about Endermen came from that single experience with one; indeed, it would have been impossible for him to tell the beast's strength just from looking at it that one time. Much of his knowledge came from one place - the place he was traveling to right now, and the place that he had visited every day since his discovery of it. 

Gavin was going to a hidden place known as the Novitius Archives.

The Archives were located in a massive mansion hidden underground, with rows and rows of books containing information on every subject possible. The books were extremely specific as well, with titles such as "Creeper's Velocity of Detonation." Strangely enough, the author seemed to have been able to write over 500 pages worth of information on that single topic. Hundreds of unique patterns were carved on the quartz walls and stone floors, and the walkway was decorated with a red carpet. Redstone lamps and giant chandeliers illuminated the entire building and its many rooms, of which there were five in total: the main library, which housed all the general information; the redstone laboratory, a room that rivaled the size of the main library with facts about redstone; the crafting area, which held the recipes and instructions for crafting every object imaginable; the brewing room, in which there was a miniature garden and chest which held many ingredients; and lastly, the enchantment room, which contained an ornately made enchantment table as well as instructions on how to use it.

Gavin knew he would never be able to read everything in the library, so he stuck to the topics that interested him and skimmed through those. He read books on tools, committing everything he could to mind. Wood is basic. Stone is slightly better. Iron even more so. Diamond is the best you can get, and gold is sucking knobs somewhere in the corner. A diamond sword could do unbelievable amounts of damage, but Gavin failed to see the point of it. Important and rare things like diamonds shouldn't be wasted on swords. Growing up alone in the wild, Gavin had had to fend for himself, and he knew that materials - especially important ones - had to be used carefully. Everything in the forest had a purpose: pigs, cows, and chickens are for food. Creeper scales were strong and provided good defenses, but they also kept the cold out. Spiders dropped string which could be made into wool, which was good for tons of things, and so on. All a diamond sword was good for was the mindless slaughter of things that you didn't need to kill. It was absolutely bullocks, Gavin thought.

Continuing on his journey to the Archives, Gavin wondered if he could ever stop traveling and just stay there. He had already stayed in the area for eleven days since his arrival, after all. Maybe he'd finally have a home.

But he knew that was impossible.

 ☆★☆

While Gavin was making his way towards the library, Michael was in the middle of meeting Ray. He has drawn his sword and was holding it threateningly under Ray's chin. "How do I know if I can trust you?" he questioned.  

"You're the random person showing up at my house and shoving a sword up my ass," he replied. "I should be asking you that question."

Michael glared at him, moving closer. "I'm the one with the sword up your ass, so you're the one who answers my question first."

Ray's mouth curved upwards with a hint of a smile. "Relax, I'm not gonna try anything. I was just wondering who you were. Besides, I'm weak as shit, and I probably couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to."

A long period of silence followed that as Michael lowered his sword and thoroughly examined Ray with his eyes. He was younger than Michael, with slightly tanned skin. He looked skinner and weaker, too, even though he didn't seem at all worried about being attacked. Finally, Michael responded. "You're okay... I guess. I'm Michael."

"You look like you need a place to stay, and it's getting dark," said Ray, expressionless. "You could come over to my house if you want."

Michael eyed him suspiciously. Did he have some sort of trap set up for him? Then again, he _did_ need a nice, comfortable place to stay. Looking at Ray again, Michael decided it was a risk worth taking. This man was more or less harmless. He nodded, trying not to seem too eager.

He didn't notice the way Ray thoughtfully watched him, nor did he notice the sadness in his eyes.

 

Michael spent the night at Ray's house, a simple cobblestone building with two rooms; one in the front, which held chests, a furnace, and a crafting table, and one in the back, which contained two beds on opposite sides of the room. The ceiling of the first room had a skylight, and on the outside of the building, there was a ladder leading to the roof. To the sides were a rose garden and a mine. And although Michael would never admit it, he was secretly grateful for a companion at last. After all those days spent searching and waiting, his work had finally paid off. He was glad that the person he'd ended up finding was friendly, as well; Ray had given him  _cooked_ food, something that he'd never remembered having before. Then again, he thought spitefully, he didn't remember much of anything.

When the sun finally rose and both men were finally awake, Ray was the first to leave the bed, get dressed, and head outside. Eventually, Michael followed suit, curious as to what Ray could be doing. He found him heading into the mine, holding a pickaxe made out of a material that was distinctly not wood. It was translucent, with a slight blue tinge. The sun bounced off of it in ways that made it look like it glowed. "The fuck is that?" Michael asked as he ran to catch up with him.

Ray turned around and stopped. "You've never seen a pickaxe before?" he asked, incredulous.

"Only wooden ones, not blue ones." he replied, slightly irritated.

"It's a diamond pickaxe. Highest quality. I'm going mining."

"Oh. Uh... Could I tag along? I could help mine and stuff." Michael didn't really have anything else to do, anyway.

"Sure, why not?" Ray said, producing another diamond pickaxe out of his cape like a magic trick and handing it over to Michael. "...As long as you don't eat shit in the lava." he added.

"Don't monsters live down there, too?" Michael questioned. 

"They won't be a problem." Ray replied so quietly that Michael almost didn't catch what he said.

☆★☆

Gavin had been reading the entire night. When he left the Archives, he was greeted by a warm rosy glow as the sun's light began to pierce the night's darkness. Gavin was tired and groggy, and while he darted back to his house, half-asleep, he did not notice the strange pillars of dirt rising up around him.

At least, not until he crashed straight into one, fell to the forest floor, and found himself face to face with a much older, very confused man.


	4. Inventive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been a little busy lately, but I guess you can expect a chapter a week, most probably on Sunday.

Ray was the most distracted that he'd been in years.  _Another person,_ he thought as he mined beside the curly haired boy.  _A... companion? A friend?_ He immediately rejected both ideas.  _Just someone passing through._ A bolt of loneliness shot through him and he found himself wishing that Michael would stay. "Don't do this to yourself again, Ray." he whispered.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Michael asked, pausing from his mining and straightening up curiously.

"...Nothing important."

Michael looks at him strangely. Ray pretends he doesn't see.

☆★☆ 

"Wh-who are  _you_?" Gavin screeched, scrambling to get up from the forest floor. In front of him stood a tall, tattooed man with perpetually tired blue eyes. He wore a strange green armor which Gavin hadn't remembered reading about, and sported a giant handlebar mustache. The man seemed to be getting more and more panicked by the second.

"I'm G-Geoff?" the man stammered, his voice cracking on the last word. It wasn't that he was scared, like Gavin was - Geoff was just very surprised and flustered that a man with a strange accent had apparently just fallen out of the sky.

Gavin straightened up, his mind registering that Geoff seemed just as confused as he was. He realized that he looked like a mess; clothes in tatters, leaves in his dirty blonde hair, and dirt all over himself. Nothing he could do about it right now, though. "Uh.. M'name's Gavin Free. Nice to meet ya." he said, grinning like he and Geoff had been friends for a long time.

Geoff blinked at the sudden change of atmosphere; he could've sworn that Gavin was getting ready to bolt just a few seconds ago. Despite that, he found his voice and managed to return the greeting. "Nice to meet you too." Geoff paused, wondering if he should continue. "So uh, how did you end up here?"

"Well I bloody smacked into one of these dirt pillars, now didn't I?" Gavin replied, gesturing to the pillar to the side with an expression of false annoyance.

"Oh, uh, no, I mean how did you end up on this island?"

"Just passing through. Don't really have much of a home. What about you?"

"Well, that's kind of the problem," Geoff replied, his voice rising several pitches. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Gavin sputtered. "So you just woke up in the middle of nowhere?"

"Yup. In the middle of the afternoon, too, so it was hot as dicks. I wasn't here in this forest, either; just smack dab in the middle of an empty field."

Gavin giggled at Geoff's "hot as dicks" comment. "How'd you end up here, surrounded by all this dirt then?"

"Long story."

"The sun's only just risen. We've got all day."

☆★☆

Michael had known Ray for less than 24 hours, so he didn't expect them to become best friends or anything; even so, Michael couldn't help but feel like Ray was trying to distance himself from him. Did he not want to be near Michael?  _He shouldn't have fucking stalked me and then invited me to stay with him, then,_ he thought angrily. He glanced at the man beside him, chipping away at the stone. They'd only mined for a few minutes, yet their backpacks were already almost filled with gold, iron, and other ores. Ray was right; diamond was very efficient. Michael suddenly realized what he was doing: distracting himself with other things, steering his train of thought away from topics he didn't like. Normally, he'd be fine with that, but this time, he  _wanted_ to think about it. Maybe Ray didn't like him because he was useless. He had done fine by himself before Michael showed up, after all. Ray knew more about the world, too - Michael hadn't even known about diamonds before meeting the guy. While Ray offered a home, knowledge, and free food, all Michael offered was a useless companion. He quickened his mining, directing all his frustration at the stone in front of him. He barreled past Ray, earning a surprised look from the younger man, determined to be as helpful as possible on this mining expedition.

Michael soon realized that he'd forgotten to put up torches on his way down the mine. Looking up, he saw Ray staring at him curiously from the opposite side of the tunnel. That was all Michael could see- everything else was pitch black.  _I'm such a fucking idiot,_ he thought as he realized he'd used up all of his torches already. Too embarrassed and mad at himself to ask Ray for extra torches, he turned around and immediately resumed mining in the darkness. He heard Ray running down and trying to put up torches along the way and quickened his mining even further; he didn't want to face the other man just yet. _  
_

Suddenly his pickaxe hit nothing, and his momentum carried him off a ledge.

☆★☆

Geoff sat down and began to talk.

_Two weeks ago..._

Geoff felt sunlight hitting his eyes and opened them. Squinting, he sat up and looked around himself. He appeared to be in a grassy field. Animals milled around aimlessly, filling the silence with their moos and oinks. "Where the fuck is this?" he asked loudly, to no one in particular. The sun bore down on him relentlessly, leaving him hot and sweaty within seconds. He found himself wishing for a tree, for  _something_ that would provide some shade. Strangely enough, he felt as if a tree would appear if he concentrated hard enough; thus, he stared at a spot on the ground, willing a tree to rise up. Nothing happened.

_Gavin laughs. "You're such a mong, Geoff."_

_"Shut up and let me continue."_

Disappointed that it hadn't worked, Geoff began to wander around the countryside. The plains turned out to extend really far; by the time the sun had set, Geoff had still not left that biome. Realizing how tired he was, he laid down on the grass to sleep. The grass did little to soften the ground, and once again Geoff was struck with the feeling that if he just tried hard enough, a bed would appear. Putting all his leftover energy into making a bed, he closed his eyes and thought of wool and wood.

Opening his eyes again, Geoff saw a palm-sized clump of wool and a stick in the grass. He only had a few seconds to stare at the objects in amazement before passing out in exhaustion.

Waking up the next day, Geoff began desperately searching through the grass for the objects, unsure if the previous night's events were real or not. Sure enough, he found the tiny piece of wool and the stick side by side. He picked them up in awe; how had he done that? Geoff hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should try again - he'd spent so much energy making just those two things that he'd passed out and he worried about what would happen if he tried again. On the other hand, he  _was_ extremely hungry. After all, he hadn't eaten at all the previous night. There were animals nearby, but he didn't have anything to kill or cook them with. Most importantly, he  _reaaally_ wanted to try out this ability of his. Was it a one time thing or could he do it until he tired out? Was it always gonna be this shitty? Only one way to find out.

This time, Geoff stared at his hands, envisioning a cooked porkchop. Squinting his eyes with effort, he began to see a faint outline of a porkchop taking shape. Focusing on the outline, he tried to pull it into existence; however, he could already feel the exhaustion setting in. If he didn't manage to create it quickly, he'd pass out again. Concentrating with all his might, he poured everything he could into the porkchop. He could see the it taking a more definite shape now; just a bit more and..

Everything went black. Geoff vaguely felt his head hitting the ground and his hand tightening around a small, soft object.

_Present time..._

"...And when I woke up, the porkchop was in my hand. I continued to walk through the plains, but I also wanted to hone my ability. This led to me being passed out most of them time." Geoff finished, chuckling.

"Wow." was all Gavin responded with. "So what can you make, now?"

"Just simple items that you can find without crafting or cooking," explained Geoff. "Cooked items use up all of my energy, and crafted items just turn out like the bed I tried to make."

"I'm guessing these dirt towers are here because of you, then?"

"Yeah," he replied, sheepishly. "The thing is that I can't really make structures out of the materials I create."

"But the pillars-"

"IF I DO, THEY SHOW UP ALL OVER THE PLACE." Geoff continued loudly, ignoring Gavin. "I tried making a tree again, and nothing showed up. I felt tired though, so it probably appeared somewhere random. I've been making these dirt pillars to try and practice my accuracy."

"...That's top."

☆★☆

_The Eleggua are the only enchanted beings on this island that I despise. I dare not confront them, however, as they are imbued with great power. One may even call them gods. They fly around, removing and adding massive chunks of land at will, leading many unsuspecting travelers to their demise. The pits they create are so deep that you cannot see the bottom, and the Eleggua only laugh and point as the people fall screaming to their deaths before putting the land back and vanishing. I myself have narrowly escaped their traps dozens of times, catching glimpses of their twisted faces in the process. Humanoid, yet horribly unnatural, with sharp, jagged teeth and glowing eyes with pupils the size of pinpricks, they are the complete opposite of the beauty and grace that this island is made of._

_A perfect example of this beauty presents itself to me in the form of a bird; birds don't come to this island often. A blue jay. It perches on a nearby tree, preening itself with its smooth black beak. Its feathers are a vivid blue, as its name suggests, with black bars tipped with white running through them. The bird has a soft white underbelly and I believe it would feel like cotton if I were to touch it. Its beauty is mesmerizing, and I want to take in every move it makes. I wonder what will happen if I clap my hands, but of course I dare not startle it like that. It runs its beak through its feathers several times, and I watch for what feels like an eternity. But when the blue jay finally finishes and takes off, an eternity is not long enough._

_Whispers of the wind tell me that an Eleggua fell for the beauty of this island not long ago._


	5. Stronger, Braver

Michael screamed as he tumbled into the abyss.

He was enveloped by a darkness so absolute that he could not see his hands in front of his face, nor could he see the walls of the deep chasm he had fallen into. He was becoming aware that it seemed to be getting hotter the farther he fell. Twisting himself to look down, he saw a section of the chasm lit up with a warm orange glow. As he dropped closer to the orange light, he noticed a small cave in the wall, a pool of lava bubbling inside. Creepers, skeletons, and zombies standing beside the pool turned their heads to watch curiously as Michael plummeted past them. He couldn't find it in himself to yell threats at them;  _he_ was the one who was about to die anyways.

It would be a lie to say that Michael wasn't scared as he fell deeper and deeper into the earth - he had been falling for some time now, and he wondered if he would ever reach the bottom. Perhaps it was a bottomless pit? If he ever did land, would he die immediately, or would he be forced to lay there, bones broken and bleeding, as monsters watched- or worse.

However, fear was not the strongest emotion he was feeling at the moment. Right now, he was angry- furious, even. He was pissed off that he hadn't watched where he was going and fallen in here in the first place; pissed off that he had learned nothing about this island, or his past; pissed off that he had only just met Ray after all this time spent searching, yet he wasn't even gonna be able to get to know him better. Ray had his own set of mysteries for Michael to uncover as well, little secrets about how he had gotten here, or if he had a family. Why he kept a rose garden and what he had been doing all these years - small mysteries about Ray along with the giant mystery of the island. Michael wouldn't get to know the truth about any of these things. Michael was about to end up as a skeleton at the bottom of a cave; just another small mystery for travelers that might stumble upon him in the future.

All these thoughts ran through his head in what felt like ten minutes, but what was really only three seconds. Michael closed his eyes, accepting his death. He relaxed his body, allowing himself to tumble freely through the air, knowing that he could hit the ground any second.  _Just don't slam into a fucking wall before you can even hit the ground, dipshit,_ he thought to himself as he continued his descent.  _And try not to land in l-_

His thought was interrupted by a sound from above. It sounded as if... Someone was calling his name.  _Ray._ Michael listened closely, just in case he heard the sound again. Surely enough, there it was; the voice of a human, somewhere far above him, saying a word. A few moments of silence, and then the voice was heard again. This time the sound was distinctly closer, and Michael just barely caught the word before the wind carried it away.

"Michael!" the voice was definitely Ray's, and this time Michael felt as if it was being said right by his ear.

 _This is fucking weird-_ Ray plummeted past him, his back to the ground, smiling happily. It was an interesting sight compared to Michael's horrified expression. What had Ray done? Was he trying to save Michael?  _What an asshole,_ Michael thought.  _Now he'll die too._

☆★☆ 

The world sharpened as Ray fell. He heard every hiss, every screech, every echo within the cave system. He heard the sizzling of the lava in the small cave above, and he listened for it down below. Nothing. A million thoughts ran through his mind, calculating his speed, distance from the ground, and Michael's location. He had fallen past Michael already; good. Slowing his descent slightly with his cape, he allowed Michael to catch up with him.

"Ray, what the fuck are you-" his words were cut off by Ray abruptly grabbing onto him and pulling him to the side, using the momentum gained from that to fling himself to the side as well. Ray could see the ground now; just about five more seconds before they got there.

 _Five._ It was too early. Skeletons would shoot them away.

 _Four_. Michael was yelling at the top of his lungs, but his words were carried away by the wind.

 _Three_. Ray could sense the cave wall beside him.

 _Two._ Almost.

_One._

Time slowed down. Ray produced a bucket of water from his cape, emptying it onto the wall. A giant stream of water shot out,  and Ray pulled Michael into it, careful not to bash him into the wall. Their fall was stopped almost immediately. Michael and Ray rode the artificial waterfall down the rest of the way, and once they reached the ground, Ray blocked it up with some cobblestone. Michael lay on the ground, loudly coughing water out of his lungs, but he was alive. "You are fucking insane." he managed to croak out. Ray gave him a pained smile. Both knew that now that they had safely made it to the bottom, the worst had yet to come. Every monster in the cave probably knew that they were here, and Ray could feel himself being watched already. He knew that Michael was still recovering from nearly drowning and would be unable to fight for a while; however, Ray was certain he could hold the creatures off until then.

Ray heard small, silent footsteps behind him as he looked at Michael. A creeper was trying to sneak up on him. Pretending not to notice, he casually stood there, waiting for Michael's coughing to seize. He was slowly becoming aware of just how many creatures were watching him in the darkness; a small creak of a skeleton here, the long moan of a zombie there. The sounds were always hastily covered up, but Ray heard them all around him nonetheless. "Michael," he whispered carefully, "do you have a weapon?"

Michael's coughs were dying down now, and he gave a small nod, grabbing at his soaked backpack to bring out his wooden sword. He offered it to Ray, who shook his head. "Protect yourself."

Suddenly Michael's eyes widened and Ray heard a the telltale hiss of a creeper. Whipping himself around, Ray kicked the creeper straight into the waterfall he'd created. The explosion shook the ground and loosened rocks from the walls, but it was muffled by the water and did little damage. All sounds in the cave stopped, and even Michael was no longer coughing. Helping the other man to his feet, Ray sensed a battle coming. "Get ready for a fight." he murmured.

Michael nodded, eyes flashing in anticipation. The two lads stood back to back, bodies tensed and Michael's sword at the ready. As if on cue, hundreds upon hundreds of creatures poured out of the darkness, charging at them. Michael made one last comment to Ray before the battle begun.

"That talk you gave me about being harmless? Fucking bullshit."

☆★☆

Michael knew that he and Ray were at a huge disadvantage. Numbers, weapons, and even environment. They were fighting in darkness, and while the monsters could see naturally in the dark, they couldn't. But Michael was a strong if not skilled fighter, and Ray... well, in Michael's opinion, Ray could take on this entire horde alone. The Puerto Rican had picked up a stone sword from an armed zombie and was gracefully, cutting down monsters. His movements made it seem like he'd done these things a million times before.

They were a natural borne team. While Ray skillfully dodged arrows and stabbed at zombies, spiders, and even creepers' vital points, Michael swung his sword with force, crushing skeletons' bones. The water that they had both previously been soaked with was quickly replaced with blood as the bodies piled up. As he found himself getting used to the fight, Michael's thoughts began to drift away from the battle and towards other things. He sliced off the head off of a creeper.  _Why can't I remember anything?_ He smashed a skeleton to pieces.  _Does Ray remember?_ He drove his sword through the chest of a zombie. _Why are all these fucking monsters SO PISSED OFF?_

Soon, all that was left were a few zombies and a skeleton archer. Running forward at them, Michael slashed at the first zombie- and broke his sword.

Stumbling backwards, he saw Ray running towards him, yelling something that Michael couldn't understand.

An arrow struck him in the side.

"Fuck!" he yelled, collapsing on the ground. He was vaguely aware of Ray charging past him and cutting down the remaining monsters before rushing back to him. Michael wishes he didn't see the self-hatred on Ray's face before blacking out.

☆★☆

Ray had fucked up. Ray had fucked up bad. He shouldn't have let Michael get shot. He should have prevented Michael from falling down here in the first place. He shouldn't have let Michael fight. _He shouldn't have failed._ Tears began welling up in Ray's eyes. He was terrible at taking care of other people; he couldn't protect them back then and he still couldn't protect them now. Ray had tried, he'd tried so hard not to get attached to the other man. He knew this would happen. He knew that he would lose him, and becoming friends with him would just make it hurt more. 

 _Shut the fuck up, Ray,_ he thought to himself.  _He's not dead yet._

It was true. Gravely injured, maybe, but he could be saved. Carefully, Ray knelt down and pulled out the arrow. Hopefully it hadn't pierced any vital organs. The wound was covered in blood and swollen, but it didn't look infected just yet. Ray gently cleaned the blood off with some water from the waterfall before tearing a strip of fabric off of his cape and wrapping it around Michael. He checked the older man's breathing, making sure it was regular. Slow and deep - Ray wasn't really sure if that was good or bad, but it seemed alright. Now all he could do was wait and hope.

He stared into one of the many tunnels surrounding the cave. The darkness beckoned.


	6. Freed, Invented

Geoff instantly took a liking to Gavin. He found that the British lad frequently used his own made up words, things like "gubs,"bunce," and Geoff's favorite, "JEEBUS LORENZO!" The two spent the rest of the day chatting away, talking about things like the island and their travels.

"Seen any monsters, Geoff?"

"Oh, yeah. Tons. They mostly seem to ignore me, though."

"Strange little buggers, huh?"

"Maybe it's cause I'd beat the shit out of them if they came anywhere near me."

"What if you saw an Enderman? 

"I'll beat the shit out of that, too. Gavin, you are so lucky to be with someone as amazing as me."

The two of them laughed. After recovering, Gavin looked at Geoff with a sneaky smile on his face. "Oh yeah? Let's see about that!" he trilled, pouncing onto the older man and knocking him over. Immediately, he found himself in a headlock, laughing and yelling at Geoff to let him go. Geoff released his hold on the thrashing boy, watching Gavin as he flopped limply onto the grass. Yeah, the two could definitely become good friends.

"Say something?" he asked.

Gavin rolled over with a smile on his face and shook his head.

 ☆★☆

Gavin instantly took a liking to Geoff. The ability to create anything? Absolutely top. As the day wore on, he found himself wondering how they could use this power. Possibilities ran through his head as they talked.  _A home._ That's what Gavin's first thought always was.  _He could make the materials, and I could build..._ But Gavin knew he couldn't stay. They wouldn't be able to build anything permanent together; Gavin  _needed_ to leave. Today, he could relax and have some fun with a friend, but they'd have to split up eventually- never see each other again. It was for their safety, both his and Geoff's. Having someone to talk to for a while was great though, and he knew he needed to make the most of it while it lasted.

An idea popped into his head.

"Hey Geoff, could you conjure up some bevs?" he asked.

"Bevs?" 

"You know,  _alcohol._ "

"Oh! I never tried that, actually." replied Geoff, his face lighting up and his voice rising five octaves in excitement. He shook his head, smiling, when Gavin giggled.

"Geoff's still going through puberty," Gavin teased.

"Shut up and let me concentrate, you dickhead." Geoff replied, laughing.

Gavin watched in awe as Geoff stared at a spot on the ground, concentrating visibly. First he saw two gigantic bottles forming, appearing to fade in and out of existence. Beer bottles, by the looks of it. Meanwhile, Geoff was either extremely focused, or extremely constipated. Gavin hoped it was the first. Slowly, liquid began to fill the bottles, as if it was pouring out of thin air. The smell of beer entered Gavin's nostrils when the liquid reached the brim of the bottles, and he smiled. Eying the alcohol, Gavin snorted in amusement. The bottles were slightly misshapen, as if someone had angrily stomped on them. They were also comically large - nearly the size of Gavin's head, in fact.

"Goddamn, that was exhausting." Geoff loudly complained.

"Why'd you make the bottles so big, then?" Gavin questioned.

"I don't want to be refilling your drink all day," Geoff explained, rolling his eyes. "Just drink all of that and get drunk off your ass."

And getting drunk off their ass was exactly what the two did; they drank and they laughed and they yelled. They were lucky that it wasn't night, otherwise every monster in the forest would've heard them. As the day wore on and their thoughts began to wander, they began to ask each other some... interesting hypothetical questions.

"Gavin." Geoff slurred,  smiling deviously.

"Yeah?"

"You can have sex with anyone in the world for six months, but after that, you're blue-balled for the rest of your life," Geoff began. "Or, you just continue on normally and have sex, what, like, one every five years?"

Gavin thought for a moment. "I think I'd probably do it," he decided. "Because... I mean it'd just be the best time ever, right?"

"Yeaaah, I think I'd probably do it too."

Gavin smiled widely. For now, at least, his worries were gone, replaced by warmth from the alcohol. But even in his drunken haze, he knew that he would never be able to stop running. As much as he wished it would, the day couldn't last forever.

☆★☆

The day didn't last forever. The sun was setting, painting the sky with a variety of colors; yellow, purple, orange, and red, all blended together perfectly. Geoff and Gavin had long ago finished the last drops of their beer and were now leaning comfortably against trees, quietly watching the sunset. Despite its beauty, Gavin found the view quite melancholy. Seeing the sun reminded him of how big the world really was, and how small he was compared to it. And he was going to be completely and utterly alone in this world once he left Geoff. He had thought before that nothing could possibly be lonelier than not knowing anyone all your life, but he was wrong. Now, he had found someone, someone that he felt happy, even comfortable, around. Someone that he considered his friend. And he was going to leave them. Gavin hadn't known true loneliness before because he'd never experienced anything else. It was like being born blind - the blind know they are blind, but they're used to it. They may wish to see colors other than black, but they don't truly know what black _is_. Only those who _become_ blind fully understand what they have lost.

☆★☆

"I have to go."

Gavin's words shocked Geoff. Had he done something wrong? Geoff had thought that he and Gavin had been getting along really well. He felt a sense of protectiveness over Gavin, as if they were family. Yet here the younger man was, preparing to disappear off into the forest, at night no less.

Geoff, too, was realizing how lonely he was. He had no recollections of his past, of his family (if he even had one). Did he have friends in his previous life? Do his friends know that he's gone, or are they too in his situation, without memories? If they are, then do they share his ability to create? Geoff turned his thoughts back to the present. The only thing that he knew for sure was that Gavin was the only person he was sure he knew, and he didn't want him to leave.

"Why?" asked Geoff, almost angrily. "Why are you leaving? Did I do something wrong?"

"No." was Gavin's only reply. His green creeper hood was pulled over his head, obscuring his face.

"Then why?" Geoff's voice cracked.

"I can't tell you."

Geoff opened his mouth to say something in reply, but no words came out. Gavin didn't say anything either. He reluctantly climbed up a tree and darted into the forest. Geoff made no move to follow him, and soon he was gone. Once Geoff was sure that Gavin wasn't coming back, he shakily tossed his beer bottle aside and walked away in the opposite direction, the glass shattering loudly once it hit the ground.

Under his hood, Gavin's face was streaked with tears.

☆★☆

_The island's enchantments demand a price._


	7. Lost

Geoff had been lost from the beginning.

Gavin, who could navigate himself to the Archives with his eyes closed, looked around and found the forest unrecognizable.

Ray, for maybe only the second time in his life, was unsure of what to do.

And Michael was lost in the depths of his consciousness.

☆★☆

**_The island, for all its enchantments, demands a price._ **

_The five... Their will is strong. It has to be, for them to have survived up until now. But how long can they continue to survive, when a force that even the Eleggua fear is working against them?  
_

☆★☆

Ray sat in the darkness, thinking furiously. However, he was rather ashamed that his thoughts were not focused on how to make sure Michael didn't die - he was thinking about whether to leave him here or not. Ray didn't know if he could handle watching another person he cared about die. If he left, he'd never know Michael's fate. Michael knew how to take care of himself; he'd find a way out of this cave once he woke up. _If he ever does,_ Ray thought grimly. After years of life here, Ray's heart had frozen up. It had to have, for him to have done the things he did. He was fueled with revenge, and if Michael got in his way, Ray would... take care of that. "I'd rather not, though." he muttered quietly.

Ray thinks back.

A small boy sits in a modest looking house. His light brown eyes shine with innocence and energy, which can be seen mirrored gracefully in his mother. Her eyes shine with knowledge and youth, her movements deliberate. Beside the boy sits his father, smiling as he watches his son. The father is strong, muscles toned from years of mining for the village, and a clear resemblance can be seen between father and son. Brown hair and eyes, dark skin, and general cheerfulness. Both await breakfast, thinking thoughts quietly to themselves. The boy, too young to be burdened with responsibilities, is thinking of the fresh, crisp morning air outside. He wonders when he and the other children in the village can go outside to play. The father is thinking about what news the other men in the mine will bring him today. Good news, or bad news? Maybe no news at all. Sometimes the news has been very interesting, like a group of creepers being spotted outside the village. While it's interesting, the father doesn't want to hear news of things like that anymore. He wants his son to be safe, and a group of creepers was definitely not what he needed.

Soon, breakfast is served; a simple meal of milk, porkchops, and eggs. The boy's father leaves for work in the mines, and the boy runs outside. Coincidentally, another child has come outside at the same time. A daring British lad about two years older than the boy.

 

Ray recoils from the memories as if they were hot embers. Thoughts of the past did him no good; oh, how he wished he could forget everything the way Michael had. _But then,_ he thought, sighing inwardly. _The Endermen would still be here._ Suddenly, a voice interrupted his line of thought.

The voice was not Michael's.

 ** _Oh Ray... But we_ are _still here..._** It cooed in a singsong voice. The sound echoed throughout the cave.

Ray was on his feet in an instant. An Enderman.

Ray knew everything about Endermen. He knew things that people wouldn't believe, things that would get him stuffed into an asylum. He knew that Endermen were not soulless beasts that existed solely to destroy. They were sentient, _intelligent,_ even. They had families, lived life. Eradicating the human race was just a little side project. In a way, humans and Endermen were very similar. Both could show compassion. Both could show brutality. Both had others who cared about them. Despite what they had done to him, that had made it harder for Ray to kill them. So while he trained underground, slaughtering any monsters he could find, Ray had built himself a fortress of stone around his heart. Sure, he could show kindness to another person like Michael, but something had broken inside of him. Something had made him... wrong.  He was ruining lives of Endermen too little to understand the rivalry between their race and humans. Yet he felt no remorse, no sorrow.

In a way, Ray was exactly like them. And he hated himself for it.

 _The Endermen are still here,_ Ray thought angrily. Endermen could read minds, and Ray knew this one was listening. _But now they're hiding in tunnels and caves. You aren't feared anymore._

Ray's eyes narrow as he hears a hiss. Suddenly there is the sound of wind, and Ray feels a presence behind him. He instinctively dives to the side, just barely avoiding the claws of the Enderman. He makes eye contact with the creature and both see a kind of sad happiness in the others' eyes.

How good it felt to be fighting a worthy opponent once again.

☆★☆

Gavin was filled with a sense of crushing dread. It was like a scene from a horror movie; alone and lost in the forest, in the middle of the night. He didn't understand how he'd managed to get so lost; he'd navigated through forests much less familiar than these in states much more off-putting than drunkenness before. He had been so distracted from leaving Geoff that he'd gone the wrong way, and now he had no idea where he was. "Stupid, buggering IDIOT!" he exclaimed, burying his head in his hands. Normally, getting lost wouldn't have been so bad for Gavin. He was a traveler, anyways; being lost was no biggie. But Gavin had needed to return one last time to the Novitius Archives. This was for two reasons. The Archives had provided him with so much knowledge, it didn't feel right to just leave without saying goodbye. But more importantly, he had left all of his stuff there, in his rucksack. One of the items in his rucksack was the entire reason he was running in the first place - an Eye of Ender.

Gavin had stolen it from the Endermen. Not just a few stray Endermen (although even "a few" can be extremely dangerous), he had stolen it from _all_ the Endermen. The Eye of Ender was one of their most prized possessions; Gavin had no idea why. He'd just been traveling when he saw a large group of Endermen huddled around a shiny, green gem. Endermen scared the crap out of him, but the gem drew him towards it, and he knew he had to have it. Gavin had climbed up a nearby tree and lowered some cobweb - an extremely sticky and hard to see substance - down to the Eye. As soon as the cobweb stuck to the gem, he'd yanked it up and jumped onto another tree, continuing until he was deep in the forest. Even miles away, he could hear the Endermen's furious screeching in the distance. The realization of what he'd done soon came over him, and he knew that he was now wanted by the most dangerous creatures in the world. Somehow, the Eye managed to calm him just enough to prevent him from flinging himself off the tree.

The Archives had a lot of information about the Eye of Ender and Gavin had read it all, but that wasn't important right now. What _was_ important was that he get back to the Archives as soon as possible, and most preferably alive. The Eye drew Endermen to it, and Gavin definitely didn't want Endermen getting drawn to the Archives. Normally, it would take a few days for the Endermen to locate the Eye of Ender, but Gavin had stayed so long already. Even if he did manage to retrieve the Eye, if an Enderman found him with it, he'd most definitely be killed.

Sometimes Gavin wondered why he didn't just leave the Eye of Ender behind. The Endermen would eventually find it, and their crazed manhunt for him would finally stop. But there was something about the Eye... it was powerful, Gavin could feel it, and it seemed to have a mind of its own. Every time Gavin even thought about leaving the Eye behind, it emanated fear. He knew that that the Endermen could not be allowed to have the Eye in the same way they could not discover the Novitius Archives; such power in the hands of beings so evil would be disastrous.

Right now, though, they were on their way to finding both.


	8. Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how short this is, I just wasn't feeling it this week :/

The fight between Ray and the Enderman was skilled, both parties elegantly dodging and striking in a trance-like manner. Michael lay quietly breathing off to the side, yet the Enderman had no interest in him. The unconscious man was not a threat; he wouldn't have been able to do much even if he was awake. No, the threat was what was guarding the man - the demon warrior who had driven the Endermen to near extinction.

The Enderman hissed and teleported away with a pop, but Ray was not foolish enough to think that it had retreated. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the purple glow it had left behind. Immediately, he noticed a very faint purple line that lead to the Enderman's location... directly to his left. Suddenly, another pop was heard. Ray rolled out of the way, hearing the Enderman's claws swipe the empty space he'd been occupying less than a second ago. That was close. Ray would have to switch to the offensive soon; otherwise Enderman would get the upper hand eventually. Clearing his mind, Ray pretended to think about lashing out to the left and tripping the Enderman. At the back of his head, he knew the Enderman would hear his thought and teleport away. The moment he completed the thought, he saw the faint purple line that indicated where the Enderman would teleport. Ray instantly put all his weight into throwing a punch to his right, where seemingly nothing stood. However, soon two very rapid pops were heard and his fist made contact.

The Enderman screeched, teleporting behind Ray again and lunging. But Ray was too quick, jumping backwards before he could be hit.  _ **You cannot win,**  _it hissed into Ray's thoughts.  _ **I am far stronger than you.**_

 _Not on this island,_ Ray thought back.

**_We will rise again._ **

_Not if I have anything to say about it._

**_You are foolish._ **

_And you're a tall piece of shit._

**_I am more powerful than you will ever be._ **

_People may fear you, but you have no power._

**_Fear_  is _power._**

☆★☆

Now, surely, Gavin was lost. He wasn't even in the forest anymore! Instead, he found himself looking down at a field full of endless dandelions, upon which there stood a single tree.  _What a load of bullocks,_ he thought. Hopelessness was building up in his chest as he looked past the seemingly endless dandelions; how would he ever find the Archives? It was impossible. Dejectedly, he began walking towards the tree, seeking the calmness that being around one would give him. As he trudged closer to it, he noticed something peculiar about the bark. It looked as if... as if someone had been carving words into it. Yes, that was exactly what had happened. Gavin was running now, closing the distance between him and the tree as soon as possible. Were there other people on this island?

Finally, Gavin was close enough to read the words on the tree. A messy "Hello?" and then a neat "Who are you?" under it. More conversation followed. Looking around, he saw an indent in the grass, as if someone had sat or stood there for a long period of time. Gavin traced the words with his finger. Strangely, the tree reminded him of Geoff.  _Could this have been him?_ Gavin wondered.  _But he didn't mention any of this in his story... Maybe there's just two other blokes here._

He thought of Geoff and his strange abilities; the memories felt like daggers to his heart. But he shook them off, knowing that he'd done what was right. He couldn't put everyone around him in danger.

Reinvigorated, Gavin set off to find the Archives once again. This time, he was sure only of two things; first, the Endermen could not be allowed to find the Archives, for it had an almost infinite source of knowledge; and second, this was because the Endermen could not be allowed to gain more power.

Knowledge was power, and the most dangerous creatures on the planet could not have it.

☆★☆

_Who could it be?_

 


	9. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters might be coming out a little slower, I've been kinda busy... Sorry about the long wait and the fact that this chapter is like four sentences.

Ray remembered Gavin, his childhood friend, as he fought.

Gavin remembered Ray, _his_ childhood friend, as he ran.

 _He's dead,_ Ray reminded himself.

 _He's dead,_ Gavin reminded himself.

No distractions.

☆★☆

Something making noises in the distance. Popping, hissing, jumping. Something else, running, dodging, lunging. Everything hurt. Michael went back to sleep.

-

Blurry recollections of flying. Drunken dreams about falling. The world is missing. Mobs freezing, teleporting. Glitches? Geoff knew he was too drunk to remember this the next day, but this was important.

☆★☆

 _The men underground have begun to play funeral music_.

☆★☆

Ray hears it. The music, playing so faintly in the background. It's not the regular music that plays. The Enderman hears it too. Both know it means someone is nearing death. Neither want it to be them.

They meet eyes. Both see faces shockingly similar to their own, identical expressions of sadness. In that tiny moment, they saw each other as equals. Both had skill, finesse. They could have been friends in another life. But the island needed to take a life, and it had decided to do so today.

The Enderman makes a noise that could be interpreted as a sigh. It lunged, half-heartedly. Ray dodged, purposely ignoring the chance to trip the Enderman. He'd calculated that he could've won the fight if he'd done that, jumping on the Enderman's body and crushing its skull. But he didn't.

They really didn't want to do this.

The Enderman spoke up, talking aloud instead of communicating directly into Ray's head. " **I was there. When we destroyed your village.** "

Ray stiffened. He watched the Enderman carefully through slitted eyes, listening warily.

**"I watched you try to save your family."**

_I failed,_ Ray thought miserably.

**"It was a valiant effort. You were young."**

"Shut up."

**"You knew it was hopeless from the beginning."**

"Shut. Up."

**"Yet you launched yourself into battle anyways, against- what, about five Endermen?"**

Ray swung, striking the Enderman in the face. It teleported away immediately. "Just fight me, you asshole!" he yelled.

**"One last comment, then."**

Ray grit his teeth.

The Enderman teleported back in front of him.

**"Gavin lives."**

Ray faltered, and suddenly the Enderman was on top of him.


End file.
